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Ball exercises may help older adults stay steady on their feet

NCT ID NCT01547988

Prevention Sponsor: Boston University Charles River Campus Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jul 21, 2026 · Last updated Jul 22, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tests whether a 12-week group exercise program using balls and progressively harder balance tasks can improve balance and lower the risk of falls in healthy adults aged 65 and older. Participants do exercises while also performing mental tasks, like reciting a story, to mimic real-life challenges. The goal is to see if this training can make stepping faster and steadier, and improve how well people feel they can move.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
a 12-week group-based balance training program using progressively difficult exercises with balls, including dual-task and perturbation exercises
What this could lead to
If effective, this program could offer a simple, non-drug way to improve balance and reduce fall risk in older adults.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-stage study with 66 participants, and improving balance in healthy older adults is known to be challenging. Results may not apply to everyone.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

66 people

The number who actually took part.

Start date

Oct 2001

Finished

Aug 2003

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

65 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * 65 years or older * Independently ambulatory (cane acceptable; not walker) * Score better than 45 on the Berg Balance Scale * Higher than 24 Mini-Mental Score Exclusion Criteria: * Severe focal muscle weakness or visual impairment * Known neurological disorders (including stroke, Parkinson disease) * Metastatic cancer * Use of medication that impairs balance or strength

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As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Accidental falls

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • NeuroMuscular Research Center, Boston University

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02215, United States

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